Access Edinburgh Scholarship

Access Edinburgh Scholarship

You get a yearly grant of about EUR 1,150 to EUR 5,800 (£1,000 to £5,000), depending on your household income. It is a grant, not a loan, so you never pay it back. You can spend it on anything: tuition, rent, food or activities. The University of Edinburgh funds it with its donors. The amount works like this:

• Care-experienced students (who have spent time in care) or students estranged from their family: about EUR 5,800 (£5,000).
• Household income below £21,000: about EUR 3,450 (£3,000).
• Household income £21,000 to £23,999: about EUR 2,300 (£2,000).
• Household income £24,000 to £33,999: about EUR 1,150 (£1,000).

The grant runs for your whole degree and is rechecked each year. There is no limit on how many students receive it. It is paid in two instalments, at the end of October and the end of January.

Who can apply

• University: You study full time at the University of Edinburgh (at least 80 credits a year) and started in September 2020 or later.
• Where you live: You live in the UK and get support from SAAS or Student Finance England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
• Financial need: Your household income is up to £33,999, and your funding body confirms it.
• Loan: You have applied for and taken out your full maintenance loan.
• First degree: This is your first undergraduate degree, not a second one.
• Consent: You let your funding body share your financial details with the university.
• EU students: If you started in 2020/21 or later, you need UK funding body support and settled status.
• Which courses count out: Nursing (BN), the PGDE teaching diploma, LLB Graduate Entry and the four-year Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree do not qualify.

How to apply

There is no separate application. The university checks your eligibility automatically using the details from your student funding body, as long as you ticked the data-sharing box on your student finance form. If you qualify, you get an award letter by the end of September.

How realistic are your chances?

There is no cap on the number of grants, so this is not a contest for limited places. Everyone who meets the income and eligibility rules receives one. The key is fitting the criteria: a full-time first degree at Edinburgh, UK funding, your full maintenance loan taken out, and a household income within the bands. If all of that applies and you ticked the consent box, your award is essentially automatic.